TechNode Weekly News | December 15

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Volkswagen’s China JV with Horizon Robotics to hire 300 workers by Jill SHEN

Volkswagen ’s software unit Cariad and Chinese auto tech startup 地平线 expect to recruit 300 employees by the end of this month for a newly established joint venture called Carizon, in an effort to meet growing local demand for advanced driving technology.?

Tencent to increase focus on livestreaming e-commerce as sales volume surges: report by Yujia Dong

Chinese tech giant 腾讯 is planning to expand its short video and livestreaming e-commerce team as sales surge, according to a Monday report by?LatePost, which said WeChat’s in-app shopping feature has achieved a total of RMB 100 billion ($13.9 billion) gross merchandise volume this year via its TikTok-like short video service.

Xiaomi disputes accusations from Huawei that it copied foldable phone hinge design by Jessie Wu

小米科技 on Tuesday released a?statement?refuting an apparent claim made by senior Huawei executive Yu Chengdong that Xiaomi’s dragon bone hinge technology for its foldable phones is a direct copy of Huawei’s dual rotating water drop hinge. Yu, the CEO of Huawei’s consumer department, made these comments during a company event last week; Xiaomi has said the accusation is “seriously inconsistent with the facts.”

Alibaba intensifies focus on combining AI with e-commerce as executives urged to embrace the new technology: report by Yujia Dong

Chinese tech giant 阿里巴巴集团 is doubling down on artificial intelligence to spur the growth of its e-commerce division, after founder Jack Ma wrote an internal memo saying the era of AI e-commerce “has just begun.” The company’s domestic and international retail businesses are testing multiple AI-driven tools and are on a hiring spree for AI-related roles, according to local outlet?LatePost.

Here’s everything we know about Zeekr’s new EV battery and new Quzhou plant by Jill SHEN

Chinese EV brand ZEEKR极氪 on Thursday announced the launch of a fast-charging, affordable, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery capable of running 500 kilometers (310 miles) on a 10-minute charge, becoming the latest automaker to seek more self-reliance and better cost control over the critical EV component.